Team Honda Racing rider proved that he is the man to beat in the Superbike class at the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship after a superb day out at Winton.

Maxwell claimed a win and two seconds from his three races to take the round win, and increase his lead at the top of the overall championship standings.

After a disappointing opening race where he finished fifth, Josh Hook (Team Honda Racing) hit back with a second and third to claim second spot overall.

Fellow Honda rider Troy Herfoss claimed two race wins on the day, but a fall in the dying stages of race two meant he could only manage third outright.

There was an air of anticipation as the opening Superbike race got underway in perfect conditions at Winton.

Off the line it was Herfoss who took the lead from his teammate Maxwell, with Yamaha Racing Team pair Robbie Bugden and Cru Halliday easing into third and fourth.

Next Gen Motorsports rider Glenn Allerton did not get the start he would have liked drifting back to sixth, but a wonderful show of speed coming down the straight at the end of the opening lap moved him into third position.

Up front, Herfoss and Maxwell exchanged the lead several times over the first few laps – the latter taking the lead and holding it for a majority of the race.

It was tight racing – very tight, with less than a second between the pair at the end of each lap, while a fair way behind them Allerton had to work extremely hard to hold Halliday, Hook and Bugden at bay.

On the last lap Herfoss made his move – getting past Maxwell and holding onto it to take the race win – completing a perfectly calculated and executed display of riding.

Maxwell had to settle for second, while Allerton did extremely well to hold onto third spot ahead of Halliday and Hook.

In the second Superbike race it was again Herfoss who made the most of his pole position on the grid, claiming the early lead from Maxwell, Halliday, Hook and Bugden.

Morris recorded two race wins and a second placing as he managed to hold out Wagner Soil Testing rider Aiden Wagner.

Wagner finished the day with two, second place finishes as well as a race win to claim second spot ahead of Callum Spriggs (Allsite Concrete Cutting) in third.

The opening Supersport race of the day started with some drama, as Michael Blair (Campbell Home Hardware) was unfortunately taken out by YRD rider Jordan Carlsson at the first corner.

Despite the brief delay, a full restart ensued and Spriggs took off the line into a handy lead at the opening turn from Morris and Wagner.

It didn’t last too long however, and Morris soon made his move to finish the opening lap in first place, while Wagner moved into second shortly after and looked to challenge the leader.

As the pair continued a breathtaking battle throughout the race, the jostling for positions behind them was also tightly contested.

At the half way-point of the race Spriggs was a significant 10 seconds behind the top two, but he was closely followed by Justin Di Giandomenico (Indeco), Mason Coote (Dynoverks Racing) and Luke Mitchell (JNL Racing).

All eyes were on the leaders as Wagner tried on several occasions to find a way past Morris, and on the second last lap he finally managed to get through.

It didn’t last long though, as two turns later Morris reclaimed the lead, and the series leader went on to take the race win from Wagner, with Spriggs finishing in third, Di Giandomenico in fourth and Mitchell in fifth.

There was less drama at the start of the second race, with Morris taking the early lead from Wagner, Spriggs, Coote and Mitchell.

Usual suspects Morris and Wagner then set about putting a fair bit of space between themselves and the rest of the field, and by the halfway mark of the race they were more than six seconds ahead of Spriggs.

Spriggs was doing some great work of his own and at the same point he had moved more than seven seconds clear of Coote in fourth.

The battle between Coote, Blair, Di Giandomenico and Mitchell was close, and the intense racing reflected the importance that each Championship point holds.

Up front, Wagner made his move on lap six and impressively held his nerve in the lead. Morris threw everything he could at the Yamaha rider, but on the last lap backed off knowing he had been well beaten.

Spriggs comfortably held on to third place, while in the battle behind him it was Blair from Coote, Di Giandomenico and Mitchell.

In the final race of the day, Morris and Wagner were again battling each other, and at the end of the first lap both riders had posted an opening lap time of 1:31.903.

The pair put another big gap on the rest of the field, with Spriggs, Di Giandomenico, Blair and Coote all within a couple of seconds of each other.

Morris held the lead moving through six laps of the race when a red flag was raised after Patrick Li (BC Performance A1 Kawasaki) ran off the track.

The call was made to turn the race into a two-part race, with positions determined by placings back to the end of the sixth lap and four laps remaining.

When the restart took place it was Spriggs who took a surprise lead into turn one before Morris cut through to take the race lead.

Wagner passed Spriggs moments later and set himself up to have a real crack at the overall round win, but Morris did enough – holding out to make it two wins on the day and take the round win.

Wagner finished the race in second which gave him second overall, while Spriggs did just enough to finish the race in third and take an overall podium place.

In the overall standings, Morris has moved 16 points clear of Wagner, with Spriggs a further 55 points behind.

In the opening race of the day, Chris Seaton (Aprilia Factory Time) took advantage of a great start and near perfect conditions by taking the race win from Brayden Carr.

Paul Byrne took his LTR Honda onto the podium in third spot, while Victorians Chris Trounson (Gas Honda Racing) and Ben Nicolson (Next Gen Motorsports) rounded out the top five.

In the second race it was again a perfect start from Seaton who pushed into the lead from Byrne and Trounson.

Unlike the opening race, his lead didn’t last too long as Byrne passed him with a great move on the second lap and began to pull away.

Seaton was clearly having some bike issues as he was soon passed by Trounson and Nicolson, and the Aprilia rider was forced to pit and register a DNF – later citing a gearbox problem.

In the end, it was Byrne who registered the win from Nicolson, and Trounson, with Brayden Carr (Fastway Couriers) and Mathew Harding (K&R Hydraulics) finishing in fourth and fifth.

In race three, series leader Trouson got the best start and took the lead from Byrne, Carr and Nicolson.

It didn’t last for long however as Byrne took the lead on the opening lap, while Seaton pushed up into fourth and soon after the Aprilia rider had pushed into third.

On the straight coming into the fifth lap, Carr shot through to take the lead – and from there he held it through to the finish.

Byrne finished the race in second place to hand the pluck Irishman the overall round win, with Carr finishing the day in second and Nicolson in third.

In the overall championship standings, Trounson holds a 32 point lead from Nicolson, with Carr a further two points behind in third.

Kawasaki FX300 Ninja Cup

In one of the closest competed races of the day, the opening Kawasaki Insurances FX300 Ninja Cup race saw the race lead change dozens of times.

In the opening lap, there were as many as five different leaders throughout, with Brandon Demmery (Noise Guard Racing), Bailie Perriton, Paul Young (AMCN), Kyle Buckley (BC Performance A1 Kawasaki) and Samuel Davidson all taking a turn up the front.

The lead chopped and changed for the next few laps and while Davidson dropped off the pace, the top four were only separated by less than two seconds with two laps to go.

Having managed to lead for the second half of the race, Young held his nerve to take the race win ahead of a fast finishing Buckly, Perriton in third, and Demmery in fourth.

The second race of the day saw another tight affair, with the quartet of Young, Demmery, Buckly and Perriton within striking distance of each other over the first few laps.

It was Young who got the initial lead but he handed it over on lap three after Demmery worked his way into the front.

After Perriton went down at the right-hander at the end of the technical section on lap five it became a battle between three, as Demmery, Young and Buckley exchanged positions throughout the remainder of the race.

Young shot to the lead at the old turn one on the final lap of the race, and despite pressure from Buckley and Demmery he held on to make it two in a row with Buckley second and Demmery third.

In the final race, Buckley took the lead from Young and Demmery before Young moved into the lead.

The race was red flagged soon after when Perriton again came off his bike, causing a full race restart.

When the bikes got going again, the crowd witnessed a replay of the first start as Buckley took the lead from Young and Demmery.

Soon after Young made his way into a lead which he never surrendered – making it the perfect three wins from three races.

Demmery finished second for the race and ended the day in third overall, while a third placing in the final race for Buckley was enough to give him an overall second.

Kawasaki FX250 Ninja Cup

Two race wins and a third has helped Tricomms National rider Joshua McHenry close the gap in the overall standings of the Ninja FX 250 class.

McHenry has closed within seven points of series leader Grant Jordan (Jordan Brothers Racing) whose DNF in the final race of the day could be a telling factor when the series winds up in two rounds time.

WRP SAVA rider Craig White (second third and sixth) and Ben Green (fourth, fourth and third) finished the round in second and third respectively.

eFXC

With the second round of the 2014 eFXC at Winton, there were four registered starterss in the opening race.

But it was better news for series leader Danny Pottage (O’Hanlon Electric Motorsports) – the Western Australian taking the race win from Catavolt’s Alexander Pickett.

In the second race Pottage made it two on the trot to take the overall win and extend his lead on the series leaderboard.

Pickett claimed second in the race with Ripperton finishing in third.

Nakedbikes / Pro Twins

KTM Racing’s Angus Reekie continued his run in 2014 that has seen him win every Nakedbike F1 race in the series.

Reekie took out all three races at Winton ahead of Queenslander Adrian Pierpoint, whose three, second-place finishes has him 62 points behind in the overall standings.

In the Pro-Twins F1 class, Simon Galloway (Cessnock Motorcycles) claimed the outright honours thanks to a win and two second place finishes from his three races.

James Arnold (Italian Motorcycles) finished in second overall (second, third and third from his three races) while Mario Gonzalez finished in third.

Galloway now holds a 12-point lead over Arnold in the overall standings.

More, from another press release issued by Eskimo Media:

What the Winners said

Hear from some of the round winners at Winton

3 August 2014: Winton, Victoria

We spoke to some of the class winners at the fourth round of the 2014 Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship at Winton, and here’s what they had to say.

Wayne Maxwell – Superbikes winner

“Really happy with the consistent day, the Motul Honda worked really awesome.

“We tried quite a few things during the day which we normally don’t do during a race meeting, but we did this weekend and we’re getting there slowly but surely.

“We can run at the front and we’ve been pretty consistent all year so we’ll just keepchipping away. We have a little bit of a points lead now, but there is still a long way to go.

“We are all riding injured I think, but that’s just the way it is. It’s a long season – especially when you are doing overseas duties and then coming back here.

“Everyone has their rounds and as I said there’s a long way to go, so we’ll keep trying to attack and win races and take it from there.

“All the red bikes are working pretty good so I am really happy with it, and it’s great to see Honda 1-2-3!”

Aaron Morris – Superport winner

“I’m stoked with the day really, and it doesn’t get better than that.

“Aiden (Wagner) beat me in the second race when he had newer tyres on, and I managed to get him in the last one when I had newer tyres on, so it shows that the pace is really tight, me and Aiden were really close, I am happy with how I raced and it was a great race.

“It could have gone either way really easily, so hats off to Aiden because he rode really well.

“Yesterday Aiden was making a couple of mistakes in the races and wasn’t really riding at his best, and it made it a lot easier for me yesterday.

“When you have got to fight for your wins, it’s definitely a bit more satisfying. The whole thing could have gone either way with Aiden right on my backside the whole time.

“I did my best and ended up getting two out of three wins, so it’s awesome.”

Paul Byrne – Formula Oz winner

“Really happy with that result. At the begin of that race I was pretty confident that I could stay in front of Brayden (Carr) and then he got past me.

“Second was good enough to take the round win and I was really happy with that. I am really happy for the guys on the team as well because they have put in a 100% effort, and it’s the best way to repay them.

“We work hard to get the bikes the way I like them, and it pays off. Sometimes we don’t hit it and sometimes we do, but today we just seemed to be on the ball with the Formula Oz bike.

“I am looking forward to a break now. I will just train hard again and am on holidays the Monday after Wakefield and am heading off to Ireland for three weeks – I haven’t been home in five years so I am really looking forward to that as well.”

Paul Young - Kawasaki FX300 Ninja Cup winner

“Pole, three wins and no bruises or scratches so it was good.

“I have been having a ball. It is just so much fun challenging yourself, and sometimes challenging yourself can mean going down to something that you haven’t done in a long time rather than going up to the next biggest bike like a Superbike when you have not ridden one.

“It’s also taught me that it is also good fun going back down and revisiting your racing roots.

“There are some good little riders out there – they are young and have a good future in racing ahead of them if they go the right ways and do the right things.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing:

Team Honda Racing 1-2-3!

3rd August 2014 – It was another CBR1000RR SP blitz at the race track today for the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship with Team Honda Racing taking all 3 Superbike race wins and making it a Honda 1-2-3 on the podium for Round 4 at Winton Raceway.

It was not all plain sailing for Team Honda Racing as the championship leader heading into the event, #27 Jamie Stauffer had sustained a fractured left ankle at the recent Suzuka 8 Hour event in Japan and this weekend’s campaign was not easy for him. “I had a difficult weekend with my injury and really had to work hard to gain as many points as I could. The injury to my left ankle made it extremely difficult for me to maneuver on the bike so it was a challenge. I could not have done it at all without the incredible support from Racesafe Australia and in particular, Mark Backway who was there throughout the weekend to assist the team, including myself. I would like to thank Mark for his help especially today.”

Race 1 for Superbikes today set the tone for all 3 races with #17 Troy Herfoss and #47 Wayne Maxwell doing battle throughout for the win. Herfoss eventually made a conclusive pass to take the Race 1 win and set a new Superbike lap record for Winton Raceway, a 1:22.605 sec with Maxwell in 2nd place, just .152 sec behind his team mate. #16 Josh Hook finished 5th and Stauffer 7th.

The second race of the day was equally exciting and the battle between Maxwell and Herfoss raged again, but on lap 8, Herfoss crashed and although he was able to rejoin the race he finished in 17th place. Maxwell took the Race 2 win and broke his team mate’s Superbike lap record from the previous race, recording a lap time of 1:22.287 sec. It was Team Honda Racing’s Josh Hook in 2nd place and Stauffer finished a solid 5th.

Race 3 was undoubtedly the most thrilling and nail biting of the day for Team Honda Racing as the Honda CBR1000RR SPs battled again for the final win. Once more it was Maxwell and Herfoss out in front, determined to make their final mark on the day’s racing. The team mates fought hard for the race win, but ultimately Herfoss out-foxed Maxwell on the final turn to take the race win by just .081 sec. Josh Hook made it a Team Honda Racing 1-2-3 for Race 3 when he passed Glenn Allerton on lap 7 and did not look back. Stauffer held strong despite his injury to finish 7th.

Round 4 at Winton Raceway saw Team Honda Racing paint the podium red as they took 1-2-3 overall for the event with Wayne Maxwell taking the Round honours, Josh Hook in 2nd and Troy Herfoss in 3rd.

The Australasian Superbike Championship also reflects the Honda domination to date with Maxwell now placed 1st on the points tally with 248 points with Stauffer in 2nd place in the championship on 234 points and Herfoss on 210 points.

Maxwell is happy to be leading the championship after Round 4, saying “The weekend went well for us and it is great to see Team Honda Racing 1-2-3 for the weekend and in the championship points. The Motul Honda CBR1000RR SP has performed extremely well all weekend and it is reflected in the results. I am really happy with the race win and to take the overall for Round 4. It is great to be leading the championship going into Round 5 at Wakefield Park in September. We still have 2 rounds to go so there is still work to be done, but well done to the Team on a very strong weekend of racing.

In 2nd place for Round 4 ASC, Hook is happy with the overall result, saying “It was a difficult weekend for me, but in the end I was able to finish in 2nd for Round 4 which is a strong result. We didn’t get much dry track time on Friday which put us behind the eight ball and we seemed to be a bit off the front of the field during the weekend. However, overall I am happy to finish where I did and will keep moving forward from here and focus on the remaining races.”

Troy Herfoss finds himself 3rd in the championship after Round 4 and took 3rd overall for the weekend. “I am really pleased with the 2 race wins this weekend, but obviously the crash in race 2 didn’t help much. I was able to salvage some points from that race though and ended up 3rd overall so I am happy with that. I am placed 3rd in the championship now so I will be looking for maximum points at Wakefield Park next month.”

Team Principal and Motologic Owner, Paul Free is extremely proud of Team Honda Racing. “The team continues to show its strength at Round 4. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort being put in by all involved. All 4 riders are putting in everything they have and it shows. Things don’t always go our way, but the team does not falter. I couldn’t be happier with the Round 4 podium result of a 1-2-3. Well done to both Wayne and Troy for their fantastic performances out on track this weekend. They both raced exceptionally and respectfully. Congratulations to Wayne for the overall result. I am really pleased with Jamie’s effort this weekend, his injury did hamper him somewhat, but with the help of Racesafe’s Mark Backway he was able to compete well and finish with some solid points. I would like to say a huge thank you to Racesafe and Mark for their help over the course of the weekend for our team. Josh had a strong weekend overall and continues to move up in the championship points. I look forward to Round 5 at Wakefield Park on the 12th-14th September and seeing how the championship unfolds.”